Principal Designer
Principal designers, as set out within the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, have an important role in influencing how risks to health and safety are managed throughout a project. Design decisions made during the pre-construction phase have a significant influence in ensuring the project is delivered in a way that secures the health and safety of everyone affected by the work and everyone involved in the project’s delivery. A principal designer should be involved from the earliest stages of project design to ensure they are in a position to influence the design from a health and safety point of view.
It is the client’s responsibility to appoint a principal designer at the onset of a project. If the client chooses not to appoint a principal designer, the client is deemed to automatically take on the role of the principal designer for the project. It is therefore imperative that the client understands their responsibilities and duties to the project and, specifically, in regards to health and safety.